Creating a Custom Retool Billing System for a SaaS Company

CutTime's billing system wasn't keeping up. Managing thousands of licenses across districts needed a smarter, automated approach.

Finance

United States

16 months

Low-Code Development

Retool

[ Client ]

About the Client

CutTime is a SaaS platform designed for fine arts education programs. It helps schools handle everyday tasks: tracking inventory, managing memberships, and dealing with finances. Their tools are used by thousands of schools and manage millions of assets.

1500+

Licenses Managed Automatically

16mo

Ongoing Partnership

100%

Automated Invoicing Pipeline

[ Challenge ]

A Billing System That Couldn't Keep Up

CutTime was dealing with three main issues:

They had a massive number of licenses to track, each with different requirements and timelines.
Their invoicing system was manual, slow, and prone to mistakes.
They needed everything to work seamlessly with their existing tools, like HubSpot for CRM and Stripe for payments.

The system we built had to:

Organize all their license data in one place, including vendor details, costs, and renewals.
Automate invoicing, generate PDFs, and send reminders for overdue payments.
Connect with Stripe for online payments and track offline transactions too.‍
Provide reports that were easy to export for accounting purposes.

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[ Solution ]

Building the Solution

Our focus with the project was on creating a system that could handle the complexity of CutTime’s financial processes while being easy to use. Retool allowed us to move quickly. Our team of Retool developers was about to prototype rapidly and get an early feedback. We built the system step-by-step. The app started with license management only, and than was expanded with other features: payment integration, automated invoicing, and reporting.

The solution we chose was to integrate seamlessly with HubSpot and Stripe, ensuring that data flowed effortlessly between systems. We also developed PDF templates for invoices, making communication with clients both professional and consistent. The system now tracks payment statuses, sends automated reminders, and provides detailed revenue reports to streamline accounting processes.

Scope of work

First, we focused on creating a comprehensive solution that streamlined license management, automated payment and invoicing workflows, and delivered insightful reporting. Each feature was designed to address specific operational pain points. But the important part was also to ensure the system remained user-friendly and adaptable.

1. Licenses Management

Centralized license storage, including vendor details, costs, and validity periods.
Developed tools to navigate overlapping licenses and manage renewals efficiently.
Set up a Retool database to securely store all relevant information.

2. Payments Management

Integrated Stripe for online payments and financial tracking.
Enabled offline payment tracking to ensure accounting accuracy.
Provided customers with multiple payment options for greater flexibility.

3. Automated Invoicing

Built a system to generate and email invoices automatically using Stripe’s API.
Developed professional PDF templates for consistent invoicing.
Added automated reminders for overdue invoices to improve collection rates.

4. Reporting

Created detailed reports to track license activity, payment statuses, and revenue.
Enabled report export to CSV for easier data sharing and integration with accounting systems.
Developed revenue reports compatible with accounting software for streamlined financial tracking.

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[ Results ]